


Shine bright

by DracoIgnis



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bonfires, Camping, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Forests, Hiking, Jonerys, Kissing, Strangers, alternative universe, cosy, iceandfiresource
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 21:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20896565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DracoIgnis/pseuds/DracoIgnis
Summary: Jon is experienced in camping. Daenerys is a novice. When he meets her one cold night, he has no choice but to assist. A Jonerys AU short story with original artwork.





	Shine bright

..

As noises woke Jon in the middle of the night, he thought to himself, _ There’s a bear outside my tent. _

Jon remained still for a moment as he blinked away sleep and tried to listen for any sounds. His right hand was creeping out of his sleeping bag, blindly searching for the bear spray tugged beneath his pad, whilst his left hand dipped into the thick fur of his husky Ghost. The dog was settled across his legs, acting as an impromptu blanket, but at his touch it rose at once and blinked its red eyes at him.

“Hear anything?” he whispered, and Ghost’s ears perked. He sat up, slipping his legs out of the covers as he quietly pulled on his boots and tied the laces. His gaze darted across the fabric of the tent; outside, it was pitch dark, but the moon occasionally shone its light through the thick clouds, causing the shape of the tree crowns to dance across the textile. But in between the shapes of rattling leaves and quivering branches, there was _ something else_.

Jon poked his tongue to his inner cheek as he took in a deep breath through his nose. He was trying to calm his nerves, but the more awake he became, the quicker his heart started beating. He knew his body was preparing itself to fight or flight, and he needed to get going before his energy was spent on worrying. He took in one last breath, nodded for Ghost to follow, and then unzipped the tent to step outside.

The night air hit his warm skin and cooled him down immediately. Jon ran his fingers through his messy locks as he turned around on the spot, trying to see anything in the dark. There were the shapes of trees and shrubs, his rusty pot swinging in its stand above the dead bonfire, and then there was _ it. _

It wasn’t a tree. It wasn’t a bear. But it was moving right behind his tent, and before he had a chance to decide on what to do next, Ghost took off with a happy bark right toward it. Jon swore under his breath as he followed his husky, grabbing at the flashlight at his belt just in time to illuminate the scene before him;

A woman, perhaps in her late twenties, with silver braids encircling her head and nothing but a long, green parka keeping her warm, standing with a blanket in one hand and the broken pole from a tent in the other, her eyes big and surprised.

Ghost circled her, rubbing his white fur across her legs, and Jon flushed in annoyance. “Ghost! You know better than that!” he balked.

The woman clenched the blanket to her chest as she looked between the dog and Jon. “Oh my God,” she said with a strained voice before she let go of a long, loud groan. “Oh… my… _ God_! I thought you were _ a bear_!”

Jon blinked. “I thought _ you _ were a bear!” His heartbeat was still quick, and his skin vibrated with excitement, but he could feel sheer relief starting to flood over him. _ It’s just a girl, _ he thought to himself and rubbed his prickled arms.

“I was _ so _ scared! I thought I would have to play dead!” she spoke, still hugging the blanket to her chest as she leaned over, her hair cascaded over her face as he heard her heave: “Oh God, oh God, _ oh God_.”

Jon bit down on his tongue and cocked his head a bit to the side as he approached her. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked. She looked like she was about to collapse, her whole body shivering, but it was as she straightened back up to look at him that he realised she was laughing.

“I am such an idiot!” she cried, laughing so hard she had tears forming in her eyes. She started wiping her cheeks off with the corner of her blanket, the pole dropping to the ground as she used both her hands to make herself decent. “I thought I was going to fight a bear!”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Jon said. He couldn’t help but chuckle himself as he showed her his spray. “I was getting ready to flee myself.”

“No, you don’t get it,” she said. She sunk down to sit on the forest floor with a tired smile, her boots pushing in between the golden leaves. Chelsea boots, Jon noted. Not ones made for trekking. “I came here to get away, but I didn’t even think of wild animals. It was only just now as I saw your dog that I thought - shit, Dany, there are _ things in the woods! _ Things that can _ kill you!_” She shook her head and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. As Ghost gave her hand a lick, she smiled and dipped her hand into the white fur. “Although this is hardly a killer dog.”

“He’s the most gentle husky you’ll ever meet,” Jon admitted. He squatted down in front of her, and he used his light to follow the pole on the ground to her rucksack. Like her boots, it was a fashionable item, made of thin leather and rose gold clasps. Next to it, there was a mess of poles laid atop a square piece of fabric. “Were you trying to set camp in the night?”

“_Trying _ is a kind word,” she said and looked in the same direction as him. “I was following the trail when I suddenly found myself treading water. I realised I’d gone off course into the river, so I just walked the woods at random, looking for a dry spot. I didn’t even see anyone else camped here.”

“Where’s your light?” he asked and directed his own back to her face.

She blinked as he blinded her, and she covered her eyes with her hand as she grimaced: “Well, I didn’t plan to walk in the dark-” she started, and Jon smiled wryly.

“Let me guess - you didn’t bring one?”

“I am a novice,” she said and shrugged. “Believe it or not - I have _ never _ been camping before!”

_ I’ll believe it_, Jon thought, his gaze slipping down her parka. It was soaked at the hemline, he noted. _ Yet another item from a highstreet shop. _

She must have spotted him looking, because she blushed slightly and reached down to tug her parka further down her legs. “Sorry I woke you,” she said, “I’ll just sleep in the blanket tonight so I won’t bother you further.”

“If you sleep in that blanket tonight,” Jon said, “you’ll be on your way to the hospital tomorrow.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Surely you’re kidding me.”

“You’re soaked,” he reminded her. He pointed from her parka to her boots. “Let me guess - your socks are wet too? The moment you fall asleep, your body temperature will drop, your clothes will stick to your skin, and you’ll freeze all the way until sunrise. You’ll be dealing with hypothermia in the morning.”

As he spoke, her bright eyes seemed to darken, and she hugged herself tighter. “Oh,” she said, her voice small. “Then what do I do?”

“How about this - I’ll get a fire going, and we’ll talk?” Jon suggested. “It’s not like I can fall back asleep now.”

She cocked her head to the side as her eyes narrowed. “You know, you’ve been shining that light at me this whole time, whilst I haven’t even seen you,” she spoke. “Can I see you?”

Jon hesitated, then shyly turned the flashlight to his own face, and he watched her take him in for a moment. As she didn’t say anything, he wondered, _ Is that a good or bad sign?_, especially as she reached out to grab the light from his hand to hold it herself, taking in his features.

“Mhmm,” she mumbled after a while, then offered him the light back with a little smile, “How about that bonfire?”

* * *

“So you’re from the city?”

Jon poured the woman - Daenerys, he’d learned her name was - a cup of coffee before placing the pot back by the fire. He settled down on the ground next to her and stretched out his legs. The flames were licking into the air, crackling comfortably, and Ghost had settled by Daenerys’ side, his snout stuck deeply into her fleece. Well, _ Jon’s _ fleece - once he’d discerned that she’d packed nothing suitable, he offered her a change of clothes from his own backpack.

Now, she was snuggled into a pair of thick socks, a wooly base layer and his black fleece. It was so big the shoulders were hanging down her arms, but she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she had thanked him so many times he almost felt embarrassed.

Daenerys nodded and blew at the hot brew. “I’ve been there my whole life.”

“I’ve always found the city too hectic,” Jon admitted.

She smiled gently. “Well, living there is as hectic as you’d think. Everyone’s always fighting to climb the ladder. There are a lot of jobs, but even more people, and before you know it, you’ve spent seven years trying to get a promotion whilst working for pennies.”

Jon grimaced. “Sounds terrible.”

“I love it,” Daenerys said before continuing wistfully: “At least, I _ used to _ love it.” She was staring into the flames, her mind seemingly wandering off, and Jon took the moment to just watch her.

She was beautiful, he thought. If city life had roughened her, it didn’t show. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks rosy, and her lips plump. He gazed on them a bit too long, only realising when she caught his eyes. He averted her gaze with reddened cheeks, but she just sipped her brew and didn’t comment.

“What do you work with?” Jon asked.

“I’m a project manager.”

“What kind of projects?”

Daenerys was about to reply, but then a smile crossed her lips. “Well, look at you,” she said, “playing twenty questions.”

“If we are, I have eighteen left,” Jon replied, but he too smiled.

“Cheeky.” She had another sip of the coffee and sighed. “Well, I used to do these big projects for the government. All about healthy living and how to promote mental health and all that. But the irony is that while I was digging through all this research on well being, I was showing all the signs of stress!” She shook her head and laughed in awe: “I mean, I was there telling the council that people need to work less, walk more, eat better - whilst I was working more, going out less, and ordering takeaways every night! I got so fed up that I just-” She paused.

Jon cocked his head to the side. “Just?”

“I just… left.” She looked from the flames down to her feet. She was still wearing her boots, but they were bulging with the addition of the thick socks. She tipped her heels together, then apart, then together again, each movement slow. “I just packed a bag of clothes, hailed a ride to the edge of the woods, and I just started walking.”

There was a certain sadness to her voice, but also confusion. It was as if everything was dawning on her as she spoke, and she closed her eyes as her head dipped down, her hair falling across her face so that he couldn’t read her expression.

“I am so lost.”

“Hey, now,” Jon sat up and reached over, gently pushing his fingers through her locks until he could see her face. Her eyes were misty, and she didn’t look at him, just stared at her cup. “I know what that feels like. It’s like the world is ending. But it isn’t.”

“Oh yeah?” Daenerys sniffed in. “You’ve followed a trail for seven years - _ seven years with the same company _ \- just to realise that maybe, just maybe, you’ve been doing the wrong thing the whole time?”

“Nothing _ that _ specific,” he said, making her smile. As she wiped her cheeks, he let go of her hair and grabbed his own cup of coffee. He had a sip as he built up the courage to speak, finally saying: “I was homeless.”

Daenerys’ eyes swiftly flickered between his face and his tent, and he chuckled:

“_ Was. _ I’m here of my own will now, but it wasn’t always like that.” Jon pulled one leg up so that he could rest his cup on his knee, his eyes seeking the flames of the bonfire. “My stepmother hated me. The moment my dad died, she kicked me out. I had no money and nowhere to go. I thought I was going to just,” he shook his head, “just _ disappear. _ And that no one would miss me.”

Daenerys watched him as he spoke, and she leaned in a little as she asked: “So what changed?”

“I did,” Jon said and shrugged. “I had to. It took me two years of couchsurfing, but I finally got a place of my own and a steady job. Hell, I make cash taking people trekking now!”

“So I should really be paying for this pleasure?” Daenerys asked and wriggled her toes.

Jon laughed. “I’ll take your company instead,” he said. “Thing is, I get where you’re coming from. Not _ exactly _ the same way, but I’ve been hopeless too. It takes time, but…” Jon emptied his cup and glanced up, smiling as he realised that the clouds above them had broken open. The stars were glittering gently in the sky. “...but it’s always worth it.”

“Oh wow,” Daenerys whispered as she looked up.

“Yeah, they’re so much clearer here than in the city. Too much light there.”

“Mmm,” she hummed. She leaned her head back as she took in the night sky with a smile. “I guess it can be hard to shine bright when everyone’s aflame.”

“But not impossible,” Jon said, looking at her.

Her eyes met his. There was something in her gaze. Something gentle, but also something strong. Perhaps it was just the reflection from the fire playing across her irises, but Jon felt like she was radiating heat. Radiating _ strength_.

_ She will make it, _ he thought, and he had no doubts about it. He reached out to touch her soft hair, his fingertips pushing through her braids until they pressed to the edge of her beanie. He wasn’t sure what gave him the courage, but he started leaning toward her, and she followed the gentle urge of his hand as she too leaned in. _ She will make it. Because she has to. _

Their lips met in a soft kiss. He could taste the coffee on her, the grounds still strong on the tip of her tongue, and he pressed himself closer, their noses rubbing against one another.

Daenerys’ fumbled as she tried to place her cup on the ground, the contents spilling as she dropped it, but she didn’t pull away for one second. Instead, her fingers pushed into his hair, grabbing around his head as she deepened the kiss. This time, her tongue pushed past his thin lips to taste him, and he let her, enjoying the comfort of having someone so close.

They scrambled to get closer. Jon leaned back onto the hard ground as Daenerys fell atop him. Her hands pulled from his hair to his shoulders, down across his own fleece, whilst his fingertips desperately sought any feel of her under the thick clothing he’d given her. As they touched and felt each other the best they could, he rolled them onto their sides, shortly breaking the kiss. They laid like that for a moment, breathing in each other’s warm air. Then, his eyes fluttered open, and he watched her as she blushed and pushed her nose to his neck.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “I don’t think we should-”

Jon shook his head. “Don’t apologise,” he said. He gently stroked her hair, breathing in the cold air as it felt like his body was drowning in heat. His heart was beating just as quickly as it had hours before when he thought a bear had entered his campground. Now, however, it was a very different feeling that made it quicken.

“I still don’t have a tent,” Daenerys whispered shyly. She glanced up at him, and Jon smiled warmly.

“I do have a very large sleeping bag,” he said, and he quickly added: “And I sleep with my clothes _ on_,” just to ensure she knew he wasn’t up to anything.

She laughed and slowly sat up. “That sounds great.”

Like that, Jon found himself falling asleep that night, his hand clinging on to Daenerys’ fingers’, and a smile played on his lips as they snuggled close under his sleeping bag and her blanket. _ Maybe city life isn’t so bad after all, _ he thought, shortly peeking at her before closing his eyes to sleep. _ Not if it can create someone like her. _

**Author's Note:**

> It's already day 4 of the Jonerys October AU month. I can't believe how quick time is going! I'll be spending my weekend writing for the upcoming week. Hopefully all will be finished in time. I hope you enjoyed the story and the amazing art by DragonandDirewolf. Thanks for all your comments on my stories. I know I am uploading a lot, so I appreciate all of you taking the time not only to read but to let me know your thoughts! I hope you enjoy this one as well.


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